Rare albino swallow sends twitchers wild with oh-so-brief appearance

One swallow doesn't make a summer, but this chap would probably do well in the winter.

While his pure white plumage might mark the albino out to predators against blue skies, he'd surely be nicely camouflaged in the snow.

There's said to be a one-in-18,000 chance of albinism affecting a bird, making this swallow a rare spot.

Unusual: Albino swallows are incredibly rare and a highly prized spot for twitchers

Twitcher Steve Copsey, who pictured
it in Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, said he stood out 'like an angel' among a
flock of his regular companions.

An albino usually has weak eyesight
and brittle wing and tail feathers, which may reduce its ability to
fly. They are also often bullied by their own species. However, this
chap mixed happily with the others.

Swallows arrive in Britain in spring and migrate 6,000 miles back to southern Africa in
September or October. But if this one didn't mind the cold and fancied
hanging about for a Scottish winter, he'd fit in splendidly.

All white mate? Albino animals are often harassed by other members of their own species, but in this case, the white swallow was treated normally by the other birds

Like an angel: Experienced twitcher Steve Copsey told how the albino bird 'stuck out like a sore thumb'